Glorifies dysfunction, abuse, and harassment.

This was the most dysfunctional, twisted, depressing “romance” that I’ve ever had the displeasure of watching. I should have dropped it but I kept holding out hope that it would improve. It didn’t.

I know I’m in the vast minority but I honestly don’t care. The more I watched this, the more depressed and angry I became. Not a single couple in here had true love. Every single one is going to continue in their dysfunction. The “happy endings” are an illusion. None of those couples are going to stay happy or stay together. It’s impossible given their immense character flaws.

Characters should have flaws, and they can even have horrible ones, but they should improve over the course of the story and none of these characters did. They were all either abusive or abused and fully intended to stay that way. Not one of them knew how to respect the other’s wishes or accept “no” for an answer.

CHARACTERS

Eun Chan
She was immature and selfish. Yes, she worked hard, but she also quit the moment it got emotionally difficult. She got angry over the stupidest “offenses,” and demanded respect that she hadn’t earned. She had no thought for how she made the people around her feel. That’s not carefree - it’s thoughtless and disrespectful.

Childish and child-like are not the same thing. Childish is thinking and behaving like a child. It’s not something an adult should do. She had no filter. That’s childish. She threw tantrums and couldn’t control her emotions. That’s childish. Those are not admirable qualities in an adult. Her perpetual optimism, her innocence, and her ability to take joy from the small things in life - that’s childlike and those are good qualities.

I was fine with gender bending at first but she took it way too far for entirely selfish reasons, but at least the show acknowledged that. I give it points for that. What she did was not okay. But I won’t harp on this since it’s the one thing they got right in the show.

Then she was happy that Han Gyul gave up his dream for her but she was unwilling to return the favor. This sort of reverse sexism is not okay either. There’s absolutely no reason she couldn’t study and become a barista while also getting married. There’s nothing bad about relying on someone else, especially in today’s economy. No, she shouldn’t become a princess and sit back and let him do and pay for everything, but she doesn’t have to be completely independent either. She only wanted to be independent for herself, for her own selfish reasons. It wasn’t because she didn’t want to be a burden to him, it was because she wanted the security of being self-sufficient. She didn’t want to feel scared or guilty again like she did after her father died. Being independent for those reasons wouldn’t be bad except that she did it with no regard for Han Gyul’s feelings.

Her complete cluelessness about sexuality and the sexual desires of men is, unfortunately, a common theme in Asian dramas. Are Asian women really that clueless? Do they really have no idea what they’re doing to men when they refuse a man’s advances so vehemently? Do they really feel no sexual desire themselves? I can’t believe that’s true and I really hate that women are depicted that way in nearly every drama. I can forgive it in the historical dramas but not the modern ones.

Han Gyul
He was abusive - physically and verbally. Only fourth-graders tease and belittle their crushes. Emotionally mature adults don’t. It’s completely inexcusable that he verbally abused her in front of other employees and customers. Not only was it disrespectful toward her, it was a poor example for his employees, and thoughtless toward the customers and how it might make them feel hearing that.

It’s commendable that he was willing to love Eun Chan despite the fact that he thought she was a guy, but if he’s not genuinely gay, then that probably would have lasted only until the clothes came off. Sexuality isn’t something you change just because you decide to. Making it seem like he could is belittling to homosexuals who genuinely struggle with being unable to change their sexuality even if they want to.

That he kept hitting on a girl who was a) taken, and b) had sort of made her feelings clear, was not okay. It was another instance of a character not taking “no” for an answer.

I give him props for not giving into his grandmother’s unreasonable demand that he break up with Eun Chan. I also like that he didn’t act like a typical rich brat-prince. He didn’t understand the value of money to those who don’t have it, but he also didn’t flaunt his wealth or act like poor people were lesser beings. He was clueless about the personal lives of his employees but this is a flaw that he did seem to correct over time. He worked hard at the cafe and didn’t sit back doing nothing just because he was the rich owner.

He probably grew more than any other character in the show.

Yoo Joo
Ugh, what a hot mess. She couldn’t decide wtf she wanted. She walked in the gray with Han Gyul, knowingly toying with both Han Gyul’s and Han Sung’s feelings, and unwittingly with Eun Chan’s. She had left Han Sung for DK, then left DK for Han Sung, but stayed friends with DK despite the obvious insecurity this caused Han Sung. She did only what she wanted with no regard for others’ feelings whatsoever.

She was materialistic and admittedly selfish. She was also childish and annoying. But, she was kind to Eun Chan most of the time, even after Han Sung “cheated” on her with Eun Chan, which was admirable.

But, she stayed confused throughout the entire series. When it seemed she’d figured herself out and proposed to Han Sung, then she started resenting the restrictions of the relationship and the pregnancy, and went on an all-night binge with her friends, again, with no regard for Han Sung’s feelings or the welfare of her unborn child. She made no progress as a character whatsoever.

Han Sung
He was as much a hot mess as his girlfriend and only changed because he was forced to. He didn’t really get over Eun Chan. She rejected him. Threatened with losing Yoo Joo on the heels of losing Eun Chan was too much for him. It wasn’t that he loved Yoo Joo that much, but more than he just couldn’t handle being alone. He couldn’t fully accept Yoo Joo as she was, but couldn’t live without her. That’s not love. That’s codependence.

Min Yeop
He was a doormat that couldn’t take “no” for an answer. He was also manipulative, but that’s because Ha Rim taught him to be that way. “Angel” treated Min Yeop like sh*t and while he stood up for himself briefly, it was only to get her back and then he went back to putting up with her crap.

I don’t like to disparage other cultures but the trend of playing hard-to-get in Asian cultures is detrimental and dangerous. “Angel” made it very clear that Min Yeop’s advances were unwanted but he didn’t stop. Having him succeed in getting her through such methods only perpetuates this harmful trend. Because of this, men don’t know when “no” really means “no.”

Sun Gi
Hot af and I loved that he spoke Japanese when he was angry, but he also didn’t know how to take “no” for an answer to such a stalker degree that he drove his ex into hiding. Twice! That’s restraining order level of harassment. It is not okay.

“Angel”
She was a straight up bratty b*tch and everyone let her be that way. She cared for absolutely no one but herself and saw others for only what they could do for her. She “fell for” Min Yeop only after he stopped pursuing her and once she wrapped him around her finger again, she proceeded to continue to treat him like sh*t. She was a despicable human being.

Grandmother
One of the only characters to have a redemption arc. She started out as a horrible person, despising Eun Chan because of her social status and her appearance. Thankfully, she was able to eventually see past that and respect and like Eun Chan for who she really was.

Eun Chan’s Mother
By far, the most grounded and balanced of the characters. She knew her flaws and worked to fix them. She knew her limitations and stayed with them. She knew her responsibilities and performed them. She kept her priorities straight.

STORY
This is a true slice-of-life series. There was no plot or throughline whatsoever. All the tension came from petty arguments between the characters. It was depressing and infuriating.

OVERALL
Yes, it had a happy ending but it was anticlimactic and for me, unrealistic. Or rather, too realistic. All of these relationships are ones that we often encounter in real life and maybe that’s what most people like about it but it’s precisely what I hate about it. If I wanted the crap of real life, I’d walk out my front door. When I engage in fiction, I want something better than real life. It doesn’t have to be Disney perfect but this was just a futile story. Like I said at the beginning - all of these couples are going to continue to have problems. They’re not going to be happy.

I did not enjoy watching this. I don’t recommend it. It glorifies dysfunction, abuse, and harassment.

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Brilliant acting / Fun to watch

This review covers the drama only. I have not read the novel nor seen the anime.

Like many other reviewers, it took me a bit to start watching this. I prefer my xianxia to be serious, and I really couldn't imagine how one could make a xianxia comedy and not have it be stupid. ( *Points to the title.* This is how. ) You have to go into this drama knowing that it's a comedy. It's not a serious drama with some funny moments; it's a straight up comedy. In fact, it's more like an anime than a drama. It reminds me a lot of "Gintama," to be honest. It's not as base or ridiculous but it's almost as brilliant in the way it mixes humor, intensity, and emotion.

PRODUCTION: This drama isn't afraid to make fun of its own genre (that scene of him standing in the rain....I just died) and the actors have no problem laughing at themselves. Their overacting was on purpose and on point. I loved the cheesy sets and the comedic sound effects. It's all clearly part of the satire, not poor quality production. In a nod to anime, there are "off-stage" interjections from characters explaining moves or magic that would otherwise be complete deux ex machinas (and they still are but the lamp shading makes it lovably forgivable). There were some teasing elements of Boy Love but they were poking fun at the BL genre, not at gays in particular. There was some yuri elements as well, but more like what you see in anime - just random fondling and tickling for no real reason.

STORY: It's a mixture of "The Shounen Recipe" and a cliche revenge theme, neither of which are meant as an insult. I happen to like them both. There are times where it gets pretty dark but those are sandwiched brilliantly in between slices of comedy that don't feel intrusive as much as a natural part of the "world" and the characters. Again, this takes a page from "Gintama," and expertly mixes dark and light moments. The ending was a bit abrupt and while it left room for a sequel, I felt it wasn't complete enough. I do hope they make a second season.

CHARACTERS: These characters are archetypes more than true characters but despite that, I still found myself drawn to them and their emotions. There wasn't a huge amount of character growth or development but there was some and it was rewarding to see. The most complex character in here was probably Wang Wu and getting to know her as the layers were peeled back was truly wonderful (and I almost never say that about female characters). Because it's comedy and because these are archetypes, character flaws are overly exaggerated. There is a lot of over acting, but the actors are playing to their archetypes.

Yes, Wang Lu was exceptionally arrogant but I found it funny more than annoying. Again, it's a comedy so his flaw of arrogance was exaggerated. Because of his unique status within the world, it somewhat gave him justification to be arrogant. He was the only character in the story who knew exactly what his role was and he never deviated from it. Xiao Hai didn't deviate from his either but he didn't have a choice, which made his infuriatingly rigid stance forgivable. The bromance between Wang Lu and Xiao Hai was awesome. It wasn't too thick but it was definitely enough to melt my heart. I had a little more trouble with the romance between Wang Lu and Wang Wu. It just didn't feel genuine. I think he respected her and cared for her immensely but was he in love with her? .... I'm not sure. That was a hard sell.

SOUND: I loved the music in here. Wang Lu's "theme song" was awesome. It made me feel the same exhilaration as whenever I heard Ichigo's or Naruto's "about to kick some ass" themes. The opening and ending themes were also great. The clackers, gongs, and cymbals from Chinese theater somehow made the funny moments even funnier.

OVERALL: If you can appreciate sarcastic, campy, satirical humor, watch this. If you already have a basic knowledge of the xianxia genre, computer gaming rules, major anime, and Chinese theater, you'll love this even more. I absolutely recommend it.

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Dysfunctional doesn't even begin to describe this story. Almost every plot thread stemmed from some sort of dysfunction. And *everyone* was in love with someone who was in love with someone else. Personally, I found it both ridiculous and interesting, but it worked, in a weird way. This is not the type of romance where you know they're going to get together and live happily ever after once they overcome a few trials. There was some serious tragedy and angst in here.

What I liked about it:

1. It's wuxia. Lots of long hair, pretty headpieces (some really freaking weird ones too), beautiful, draping clothes, stunning sets, intense martial arts, etc.
2. The male lead really did a phenomenal job in his role. That was a hard role to play and he did outstanding.
3. It was unexpected and twisted. Things didn't go the way I thought they would.

What I didn't like about it:

1. Pretty much every female character, most especially the female lead.
2. While there were moments that were romantic, overall, it wasn't terribly romantic.
3. There was *a lot* of talking and a lot of scenes repeated over and over.

STORY: There is a *huge* cast and I got really lost at first trying to learn who everyone was. There were some scenes at the beginning that didn't come into play until near the end and then they flashed back to them. I feel they should have just flashed back rather than confuse me at the beginning. I remember feeling like I'd watched twenty episodes and I'd only watched six. There's just *so* much information upfront. This isn't one you can tune out for even a minute. You'll miss something. That said, I thoroughly enjoyed the story and was heavily invested in its outcome. It wasn't terribly complex in and of itself and was led by some typical themes but when wrapped in each of the many characters' viewpoints and moral codes, it got much more intricate and thought-provoking. It explores a theme that China went through in its own history - how do you achieve peace, through pacifism or through war?

ROMANCE: This was the slowest of burns. Other reviewers have said that the main couple had no chemistry and they're right, but I don't feel that's the fault of the actors. I think the characters were written that way. Yi Qing was very clear how he felt and I loved that. He was not shy or hesitant in acting on his feelings. Jing was the problem and that was part of her character. Every relationship in this story was highly dysfunctional in some way, including the main couple's and that affected how their romance developed.

CHARACTERS: By far, the most incredible character in this story was Yi Qing. I almost wish the story had been about him without the clutter of the effed up romance. He was a brilliantly written character who I came to love deeply. Granted, I never did get his love for Jing but I'm not sure we were supposed to. It didn't seem any of the other characters understood it either. Other reviewers have said he was expressionless and I disagree. He was very reserved and there's a reason for that, but he did have expressions and they were intense once you got to know him. Jing ... I hated her. From start to finish, I hated her. That said, she did have a deep character arc and strong growth (almost too much, honestly), but it didn't make me like her. She just wasn't likable. In her case, I can't tell if she was written that way purposefully or if she was just poorly written. Either way, I thoroughly despised her. Nan, I adored him. I was actually shipping him and Yi Qing, personally. He was an awesome support character with so much expression and loyalty. I absolutely adored him. I also really loved Huang Quan, Ren, and Lei Chu Yun. Xiao Tai ... hate hate hate. Qing Ming, also hate.

Overall, I enjoyed it and it was worth the watch. It was an emotional roller coaster ride with a lot of tragedy, angst, insane jealousy, revenge, loyalty, betrayal, and dysfunctional love.

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